This Psalm is meant to be a song. It is directed to the choirmaster and written to a specific tune. It is a wedding song, dealing with a beloved king and his bride, a glorious foreign princess.
45:1
Introduction
The songwriter was thrilled to write this song to the king. We do not know which king the song was initially written about, but one of the kings in the line of David. The psalmist loves the king and writes about him in glowing terms. It is an idealistic description, portraying the king as one blessed by the Lord because of the promise of the Lord to David to keep his heirs on the throne of Israel forever.
45:2-9
Praise of the King
In this section, the psalmist praises the excellent qualities of the king. First he praises his appearance, calling him the most handsome of men. (2) The NIV says “excellent” instead of “handsome”. The idea is royal perfection.
He is also gracious in speech because God has given him grace and blessed him forever. God has poured grace on him, or anointed him with grace. We saw this in Solomon, who spoke wisdom. People of all the nations came to hear his wisdom. (1 Kings 4:34) His wisdom and wealth took the queen of Sheba’s breath away. (1 Kings 9:5)
God has blessed the king forever. (2) God promised David a descendant on the throne forever. (2 Samuel 7) This king inherited that blessing, both in becoming king and passing the kingdom to his son. Maybe this verse inspired Paul to write “…and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever”. (Romans 9:5) Jesus Christ is a descendant of David in the flesh.
He is a mighty warrior and can ride out to battle expecting victory. (3) People will fall to his arrows. (5) He has splendor and majesty because of his past victories. (3) He establishes peace and prosperity for Israel and order to the world.
The king does not go to battle just to add territory to his kingdom. He goes in the cause of truth and righteousness (4), standing for God and his law. Yet, though he has majesty and splendor, he goes in meekness. He is a glorious king, yet obeys the Lord and humbly fulfills his duty for Him.
This passage inspired an old hymn. It is entitled “Ride On! Ride on in Majesty! written by Henry H. Milman in 1827.
Verse 6 makes a puzzling switch, addressing God, saying his throne is forever, his scepter is the scepter of uprightness, and he has loved righteousness and hated wickedness. What throne is the psalmist referring to?
He refers first to the Davidic throne, established by God when he anointed David as king and continued with the covenant he made with David to have a descendant, or son, on the throne forever. The successive kings would enjoy the favor of God and rule as God’s representative as long as they were faithful to God’s covenant with Israel.
This throne is to be established and maintained in righteousness. The kings are to oppose all wickedness. They are to establish God’s kingdom on earth. When they do these things, they secure God’s blessing on themselves and on the nation. As we read through the books of Kings and Chronicles, we see these blessings poured out on the kings who acted righteously, obeyed God’s law, and did not worship idols. Those who were wicked suffered the disfavor of God, which led to the suffering of the people.
Because God has established this throne, the king is anointed above all others with the oil of gladness and his robes scented with pleasant smelling herbs. This is a picture of the king on his wedding day, dressed in scented robes, his hair groomed with oil, ready to be presented with his bride.
Beautiful music is played for the wedding, royal princesses are attendants, and his queen is ornamented with the finest gold. (9) Only the very best and most pleasant is used for the wedding of the king.
Instruction to the Bride, the Queen
46:10-15
The psalmist then gave instructions to the bride, as we see him telling her to incline her ear or listen to him. (10)
She must be a royal princess from another country, because he tells her to forget her people and her father’s house. (10) Although she is royal in her country, it is her greater honor to wed the Davidic king. So, she should not dwell on her past glory, but come to the king and bow to him as her lord. Submission to the king implied submission to God, since the king was God’s representative.
The Bride will be rewarded for her submission to the king. The king will appreciate her beauty. She will be honored among the nations, demonstrated by the rich people of Tyre coming and giving her gifts. (11) Tyre was a wealthy trading nation in what is now Lebanon.
The bride will come to the king in her own glory, wearing gold robes befitting a royal person, which are intricately woven of many colors. (13) Not only will she arrive in beauty, both in face and in clothing, she will have attendants who are virgins that attend her in joy and gladness as they come to the palace and present their lady to the king.
The picture here is shifted from the throne room, where she was presented to the king, to the chamber where she prepared for the wedding, and then her entrance into the palace.
God’s Continuing Promise
45:16-17
The Psalmist closes with a reminder of the Davidic covenant. God will bring the king sons to continue the line of his fathers. He will make the king’s name known and praised forever.
When we read the Old Testament, we first consider what the writer meant for the first readers, the original audience. We have done that here. Second, we may consider what the scripture means for us today in the context of Christ and the church.
Though this exaltation applies first to the king at the time the psalm is written, we see in the words a greater king. The writer of Hebrews, under the influence of the Holy Spirit did also. He directly applied these verses to Jesus in Hebrews 1:8-9, saying the Father said this about the Son.
Jesus is indeed on the throne, at the right hand of the Father. He is the descendant of David, the bright and morning star. (Revelation 22:16) His scepter is one of righteousness, for he lived on earth in total righteousness. His righteousness is imputed to us when we commit ourselves to him in faith.
In the new creation, all things will be put in order and Christ will rule them as David ruled the nations around Israel. Revelation 21:26 says they will bring into the new Jerusalem the glory and the honor of the nations.
The bride of king Jesus is the church. As he sanctified, then glorified those who believe in him, the bride is presented to him at his second coming as beautiful and flawless. Revelation shows it to us in poetic terms:
Hallelujah!
For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory,
for the marriage of the Lamb has come and his Bride has made
herself ready;
it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (Revelation 19:6-8)
When the Davidic kings served the Lord, the nation was glad. It prospered and blessed the Lord. In eternity, the eternal king, Jesus, will give all his people gladness and joy forever.
That is why the Spirit and the Bride say “come”. (Revelation 22:17) And that is why we, with John, say “Amen. Come Lord Jesus!” (Rev. 22:20)
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